1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a boot, especially a sports boot, comprising an external sole on which is mounted an upper, open frontwardly to enable passage of the foot, and comprising to this end, an internal quarter and an external quarter connected to each other by a closure system, comprising a lace or cable, along a predetermined alternative path, a series of return elements located in a fixed manner on either side of said quarters in the vicinity of their respective edges located across from each other, and defining a lacing zone, such that when a tractional action is exerted on the two free ends of the slack ends of the lace or cable, such lace or cable tightens the quarters, by means of the return elements, to bring them closer to one another and consequently ensures foot retention.
2. Discussion of Background and Relevant Information
In known sports boots of this type, lacing is done, for example (see illustration of FIG. 1) according to a traditional method consisting of regularly crossing each of the slack ends of lace 20 after passing them through eyelets or behind studs located across from each other on each of quarters 12, 13 of the upper, in a uniform sequence from the front (AV) towards the rear (AR) of the boot.
Another very common method (see illustration of FIG. 2) consists of passing one of the slack ends 24 of lace 20, directly from a first eyelet 21 of one of the quarters 12 of the upper, located towards the rear, to a last eyelet 22 of the other quarter 13 of the upper, located towards the front. In this case, it is the other slack end 23 of the lace which joins all the other eyelets or studs by zig-zagging from one quarter to the other of the upper along the entire length of the lacing zone to make such quarters 12, 13 to come closer together.
Although these lacing methods are satisfactory for boots having a short lacing zone, such is not the case when this lacing zone becomes longer, as for example in climbing boots, cross-country ski boots or other boots adapted for playing basketball, all of which require substantial foot retention, and therefore a longer tightening zone.
In these cases, the above cited methods have a major disadvantage, because when the lacing is long, the traction on the zig-zagging slack end(s) must be even greater since the latter are numerous. In addition, it is impossible to control tightening in order to ensure good distribution along the entire length of the lacing zone.
To overcome this, the user must tighten his boot, not by exerting a traction on the free ends of the slack ends of the lace, but by intervening directly on each of the loops formed by the lace between two eyelets or studs located across from each other, and tighten these loops successively, one after the other until the last eyelets located towards the front portion of the boot. It is possible, that this tightening can be done by action on every other loop, but at any rate, the definitive tightening of the laces of each boot is both long and time consuming.